League Cup 3rd Round

Dont think that's necessarily true. It just wasn't one of the selected games. There are normally a few per round which are selected for VAR testing. Unfair and stupid.

 

Actually VAR was on trial in this years tournament. The trial should have been to where Premier League teams are playing at home.
Technically Spurs were at home, so they should have been trialling at this match but as mentioned above it was at a league 2 venue hence probably why the trial was cancelled there last night. If it was played at their new ground it would have been trialled.

 

Hmm potentially. I know the Premier League just basically choose a few games for Hawkeye to be tested at, so could literally have just been because it wasn't selected, although makes sense considering where the fixture was.

 

I stand corrected, just checked and you're both right. Ground isn't set up for it, apologies.

 

It is Premier League grounds only.

 

Well put HB1 so hoping nobody slates you this time. We lost by a narrow margin. The performance levels in every game have been very good. Results will come off the back of that. We also have a good range of player options with more to return. Team spirit and focus is excellent. Keep the faith guys.

 

Agree with this, was thinking the same last night. Seemed the knowledge they wouldn't have to run around for another half hour, and then be knackered for the weekend, encouraged the players to go hell for leather in the last 10 minutes. I had Liverpool v Chelsea on and the same happened in that game too.

 

Success MOTM.

Needs to tidy up his close passing but despite playing up top on his own, he was an absolute handful play against for the Spurs CBs who are amongst the best in the league , Alderweireld one of best in world .

Another player Gracia has improved massively

 

I watched the penalty last night and I thought it was harsh and the red was unwarranted (at the time I thought it was for dissent). Looking at the highlights in the cold light of day that was a disgraceful decision. Still it was good to see the standard of our 'B' team - I don't quite get the "hate" for Gomes - there wasn't much else he could have done for the second goal and penalties...

 

I'm still annoyed about what happened last night. Lee Mason changed the narrative from "Pressure mounts on Pochettino" to "Captain fantastic wins the tie on his old stomping ground".

Lee Mason unfairly changed the direction of the match. Not just with the penalty, which was soft, but the red card, which was like giving Spurs 2 goals.

The sooner VAR is used in all matches, the better. It's the only way you will ever level the playing field.

Now, I've just seen the extended highlights and I am so proud of the team's performance. Success is back to the player we first saw when he joined the club. He's a beast. Just raw power ripping through Tottenham's defence. It was a wonderful performance.

Our last two games, have seen big decisions go against us, which have changed the result. We should have won both games as the performances were that good.

I'm amazed at the level we are playing at. It's exciting. Regardless of bad luck and bad referring, this is going to be a special season. Our luck will turn for sure, if we keep playing like this.

Anthony Taylor at Arsenal is not a good recipe for us, but as long as we continue playing like this then I'll be delighted.

My big sadness today is because of Lee Mason, we're unlikely to see last night's Watford team again. I'm a big fan of Watford's 'B' team. It was a really good experience watching Success, Wilmot, Quina, Chalobah etc. I loved it.

 

Apologies if it's already been mentioned and explained but is the 'Double Jeopardy' rule not in operation in this Cup competition?

I thought if a penalty was awarded then the most you can receive is a yellow card unless, presumably, you physically assault someone!

 

Was only able to catch the highlights.

Really great to see Success play so well, loved his finish for the goal. Hope he gets more minutes in the league.

Sema's airshot - pretty special. I've really not been impressed by him so far, let's hope he can improve as he seems to be quite high in the squad pecking order, coming on as a sub nearly every game.

A shame we didn't try out Dahlberg, if he's as good a prospect as has been made out. From the highlights, Gomes certainly looked rusty.

Still no sign of Penaranda. Just whip up one of those genuine fake documents like you did with the bank letter Gino! Get it sorted.

Certainly no shame going out on penalties against a strong Spurs team with our second string. On to the Cojones derby. Deeney to smash in the winner with the gnarled ball of broken toes he calls his right foot. Coyh.

 

I can only imagine the red was for dissent? Kabasele looked very surprised at the penalty - I can only assume he "said" "something".

 

He clearly did say something, but it wasn't an out of control rant. You could see his expression of disbelief when he was shown a straight red card.

The appeal has gone through, and no doubt we'll find out later today as to the outcome.

 

Maybe. Having looked at the TV footage it doesn't look as if Kabasele was mouthing off at all though.

On the Watford Observer piece reporting Watford will appeal the sending off, they explain a penalty AND red card can be awarded if a clear goal scoring opportunity is denied. I'm not sure that was the case either though because the ball was closer to another WFC player when Dele and Kabasele went to ground.

In my view, based on the above, it was a soft penalty compounded by poor interpretation of the incident.

 

Yes, that was a bad one. Pretty straight forward chance to make it 2-0. He also had another chance, when he took a bad touch which allowed the covering defender to block the shot. However, like I said earlier in the post, this guy needs to be given time.

I've seen the massive improvements in so many misfiring players since Gracia has arrived, which gives me hope he can do the same with Sema. Holebas, Kabasele, Deeney, Gray, Capoue, Pereyra and now Success have all shown tremendous improvements over the past couple of months, and if he's playing Sema, then he must believe in him, which is good enough for me.

 

Sema didn't make the Swedish WC squad. Enough said. Not seen enough to suggest he will develop into a prem standard player.
Dahlberg must be wondering why he signed for us. I'm sure he didn't expect to walk into the #1 spot but what is the point in keeping him rather than loaning him out if we aren't even going to play him in the Mickey Mouse cup ? Last season he was playing first team football for Gothenburg wasn't he ??
Great team performance last night given the 11 Spuds put out. Really great.

 

Absolutely fantastic game - highly entertaining, plenty of drama, controversial decisions, last minute goals, red card and a penalty shoot out - bring on Arsenal

 

This.

He's getting some harsh criticism, I thought his overall play was good and the air shot was unfortunate. People have to remember he effectively came from non-league football so needs some time to adapt.

Also, Deeney said in an interview that he's going to develop into a very good player, he obviously sees it in training every day, so I'll go on Troy's view - raw but loads of potential.

I'm really encouraged by the following:

Success - that's what we know he's capable of, pace, power and terrorising defenders - if he stays off the Baileys then that potential will shine. If Troy is struggling for Saturday, then him and Gray with their mobility could be interesting,

Quina - still raw but what a player he will become, so much confidence and self-belief and his passing abilities - that one diagonal pass out to the right for Femenia (I think) was just glorious.

Wilmot - peronally I think he needs to fill out a bit to take a CB spot, however providing the extra security in front of the back 4, is perfect for him at the moment and so good on the ball. We have a real gem there.

Chalobah - he's got another 90 minutes in his legs against very good opposition. The guy was 3 or 4 moves ahead of his opponents, he was an absolute boss, his awareness and appreciation of other players was sublime. He ran out of steam which was to be expected, but can't wait to see him start. Him and Doucoure in midfield again is mouthwatering.

Final mention to Javi - the flow of our football last night excellent, we've been accused of direct football, but we saw a different style last night that indicates he's got 'horses for courses' in that the players have bought in to the different styles they can adapt to, and that's down to him.

Texting a Spurs friend during the game and he commented after "If that's your 2nd eleven, then how good is your starting 11? You look like a top 6 team and good to watch, your manager's doing a great job"

 

The change in the "Double Jeopardy' rule means it's no longer a guaranteed red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity in the penalty box.. as it was previously. Unless.. "the offence is holding, pulling or pushing; there's no attempt to play or no possibility of making a challenge; or it's an offence which is punishable by a red card, no matter where on the pitch it happens - violent conduct, for example"

In other words.. deliberate foul and/or violent conduct- still means red. Accidental coming together- doesn't.

 

That was Success' best performance in a Watford shirt to date. Deeney will start against Arsenal, and you cannot drop Gray, as he's in his best form since signing for the club. However, there is an alternative. I don't think Gracia will do it, but considering we're playing Arsenal, I think Success, Deeney and Gray will terrorise their defence. Pereyra's form dropped a couple of notches against Fulham, so I wouldn't have a problem if Gracia swaps Pererya for Success on the left flank, just to see if it works. Pereyra can always come on later, and do his magic against tiring legs.

I think Kiko will play right back, as Janmaat's apparently injured, so it could be a slightly new look. But Kiko's pace and the power of those front three, will give Arsenal plenty of problems on Saturday.

 

Being slightly pernickerty, it actually says, "A player can only be sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity if he is deemed not to have made an attempt to play the ball." The last few words are the key bit, not the DOGSO section.

In fairness to Sema, the pass/cross to him was hit too hard and arrived out of his stride. It meant he was always going to need to take a touch to control it before shooting. I think most forwards would have had to. I didn't see it as a bad touch given the nature of the ball he received.

 

Being more generous to Mason, more than he deserves, he could have thought Kabasele pushed Alli in the back, hence the fall forward. From the footage, it's clear that did not happen. The only contact, apart from shoulder to shoulder, was when Kabasele made an attempt to nick the ball. It's not clear whether he kicked Alli's foot on to the ball, or kicked the ball cleanly. Either way, it was a clear attempt to play the ball, not to foul the player.

 

It's so great to see our team evolve from the 'experienced' journeymen we signed in the first/second season in the Prem into a one with a whole horde of younger players ready to step up. Chalobah, Hughes, Success important members of the squad, with Quina, Wilmott and others looking good when given the opportunity

 

I agree, it was a tough ball, but many players at this level can control it closer to the body. It's only a minor thing and not a criticism, but the couple of seconds when the ball was in the air allowed the defender to nip and take the ball away from Sema. This is the difference from scoring a goal or not.

I don't blame Sema too much for that one. It's a bit like Gray on Saturday. He had a similar chance where his touch made the ball go high for a couple of seconds, which allowed the keeper to close him down. No real blame on Gray or Sema, it's more good play by the keeper and defender to retrieve the situation, but just a note, if you manage to control the ball a little closer to the body, it will greatly improve your chances of scoring.....this is what all top strikers are able to do consistently.

 

Completely agree, it was fizzed into him.

 

[QUOTE="hornetboy1, post: 2677295, member: 529"

Anthony Taylor at Arsenal is not a good recipe for us, etc. [/QUOTE]

Deep joy, another ***** who only has eyes for the "big clubs".

 

Agreed. It's a bold move dropping Perreyra, but Success, Deeney, Gray, Hughes and Doucoure pushing forward is very exciting - pace, power and guile

 

A good evening's entertainment; great performance by our B team. Lovely stadium. It looked like a penalty from where we were (albeit at the other end of the ground) but the red card was a surprise. Hope it is overturned.

Success was terrific; much better through the middle as a bully-boy in the Deeney mould than out on the wing.

Given Gomes's record at penalties I thought we had a chance of going through ……..

Frustrated by the trains being Donald Ducked - didn't get home until after 1:00am.

 

I watched the game live on tv.. it was shown in Norway.. and on the replays they showed a third angle from behind the goal that i haven't seen in any of clips on Youtube etc. From that angle it looks liked Kabasele caught him on the ankle while trying to get the ball.
Penalty.. possibly. Red card offence.. no.

 

You are being extremely harsh against Wilmot. He played very well and competed on par with more established midfielders in Wanyama, Sissoko, Alli and Lamela. Didn’t look out of place at all, not out of position. He’s got bvioualy being moulded to be able to play CM as well as CB and he was one of the better, consistent players last night.

 

You say we lost because of this and while there is an element of that that is true, it is equally down to Gracia tinkering needlessly with a defence that was dealing well with Spurs waves of attack. Gracia is doing a fine job. But some of his substitutions are wrong and needless. Let’s be even handed about it.